Joaquin Phoenix pays tribute to late brother in emotional Oscar speech

Joaquin Phoenix took home the best-actor Oscar on Sunday night for his role in Joker. In his speech, the actor, 45, touched on issues such as animal rights, gender and racial equality, but the most touching moment came when he mentioned his late brother River Phoenix. Struggling to hold back the tears, he said: “When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric. He said: ‘Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.’”

River was one of the most celebrated child actors in the mid-1980s with films like Stand By Me. He evolved into a fascinating adult star thanks to films such as My Own Private Idaho and Running On Empty, for which he received an Oscar nomination. He was the ultimate teen idol, a sensitive blonde-haired musician and animal rights activist. Tragically, River died in 1993 of a drug overdose at the age of 23. The 911 call that a then-19-year-old Joaquin made while his brother was dying on the streets outside the Viper Room in Los Angeles was then broadcast on national TV.

Understandably, the family (including his actor sisters Rain and Summer) seldom talk about River in public. Over the past couple of years, however, they have talked more candidly.

Joaquin thanked his late brother in a speech he gave at the Toronto International Film Festival, noting how it was him that encouraged Joaquin to keep acting.

The lyric quoted in his Oscars speech was one that River would frequently write to fans in response to letters they sent him. It is indicative of the Phoenix family’s ethos, which has preached such values for the entire time they have been in the public eye